The Sentinels of Andersonville by Tracy Groot

The Sentinels of Andersonville by Tracy Groot - 348 pages

In this novel by Tracy Groot, inhuman acts and their impacts are shown.  Using fiction to tell a story, Groot shows how the Andersonville Prison in Civil War Georgia had horrific conditions and how most Southerners had the mindset mistreating the prisoners was okay.  That said, a small group of citizens protested the conditions and did what they had to in order to help. 

Reading about the conditions in Andersonville reminded me of the conditions the Jews faced in the concentration camps.  However, those that took a stand show another side to the story; one of placing good before evil despite persecution. In all, I was happy with this book and thought it was well-written.

All-Girl Filling Stations Last Reunion

BY:  Fannie Flagg

All-Girl Filling Stations Last Reunion  By: Fannie Flagg  347 pages

This is what I would describe as happy story, with two, easy to love characters.  Sookie and Fritzie are the center of this fun and thought provoking story with many secondary characters who add a little more humor and madness.  There is a lot of switching between past and present, but the timelines are both interesting.  Sookie is older (almost 60) when we meet her in the late 20th century and Fritzi is a young girl, who becomes what they refer to as a WASP, Women Air-force Service Pilot, during world war II.   
Sookie's past soon catches up with the present when she finds out more about who she really is and what part Fritzie played in her life.

This book is not what I thought it would be about, and though I enjoyed it, I think the title is a little deceptive.